Hose-cleaning apparatus.



v G.-HOFMANN.

HOSE CLEANING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. e, 1909.

961,858, Patented; June 21, 1910.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

G. HOPMANN.

HOSE CLEANING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. e, 1909.

961,858, Patented June 21, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

2O 45 50 564 zyg 5 vAXE/"622522" GEORG HOFMANN, OF KAUFBEUREN, GERMANY.

HOSE-CLEANING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 21, 1910.

Application filed March 6, 1909. Serial No. 481,654.

To all whom Lt may concern:

Be it known that I, GEoRG HorMANN, a subject of the German Emperor,residing at Kaufbeuren, in Germany, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Hose- Cleaning Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention relates to apparatus for cleaning hose, moreparticularly fireengine hose.

One of its objects is to provide means for efliciently cleaning andsqueezing a soiled hose without injury to the material and structurethereof, and another object is to provide apparatus which delivers thecleaned hose in a coiled state, so that it can be easily removed, fordrying, without dragging it along the ground.

A construction embodying the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of the wholeapparatus, and Fig. 2 a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a side View of partof the hose squeezing and feed mechanism, and Fig. 4 a plan viewthereof, with the squeezing cylinder removed. Fig. 5 is a plan view on alarger scale of the reel on which the hose is wound. Fig. 6 is a sideview of the frame and part of the driving gear of the squeezing and feedmechanism, and Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the squeezing and feedcylinders with driving gear. Fig. 8 is a section on the line A.B of Fig.1, through the spraying chamber, and Fig. 9 a section on the line CD ofFig. 1, through the preliminary washing tank. Fig. 10 is a section onthe line E-F of Fig. 2, through the spraying chamber, and Fig. 11 a planview of the washing tank and spraying chamber, the latter being shown insection. Fig. 12 a section on the line (Er-H of Fig. 11.

The apparatus is mounted on a table 1 and comprises three principalparts, 2'. e. the preliminary washing tank 2, the spraying chamber 3 andthe hose squeezing and feed mechanism 5, the latter acting inconjunction with a reel 4.

On the floor 6 of the tank 2 there is a brush 7 with upwardly directedbristles, and two brushes 8 and 9 with downwardly directed bristles aresupported near the ends of the tank. The brushes 8 and 9 are carried bysupports 10 and 11, and normally the tips of their bristles are in thesame plane as the tips of the bristles of the brush 7.

The supports 10 and 11 are pivoted at 12 and 13, and their free ends canbe fixed to the basin by means of pins 14 and 15.

The two shorter walls of the tank have recesses l6 and 17 for thepassage of the hose. In front of the recess 16 outside the basin, thereis a roller 18, and the lower edge of the recess 17 has a rounded sheathor guard 19. To the bottom of the tank is joined a short waste pipe 20with plug 21.

The spraying chamber consists of a box 22 with a lid 26 hinged to it at23 and 24 and provided with a handle 25. Two groups of nozzles 27 and 28are arranged within this chamber, the nozzles 27 being carried by ahanger 29 fixed to the lid, and the nozzles 28 being supported by aframe 30 resting on the floor of the chamber. The nozzles 27 and 28consist of short tubes with closed ends and perforations 31 in theirwalls. The hose travels between the nozzles 27 and 28 and the nozzlesare so arranged and the orifices thereof are so formed that the jetstherefrom will be directed onto the hose as it travels therebetween sothat it will be thoroughly washed on all sides. Pipes 32 and 33 connectthe nozzles 27 and 28 to the water main 34 which is also connected to acook 35 with its orifice located above the tank 2. The pipe 32 is ofrubber with flexible metal sheath. At the end of the cham ber 3 remotefrom the tank 2 there are four brushes 36, 3'7, 38 and 39 arranged inpairs, the brushes 36 and 37 being fixed to a horizontal shelf 37 andthe brushes 38 and 39 being vertically slidable on hangers 39 and 39*,on which they are thrust downward by springs 40 and 41, in order tocompensate for wear at the tips of the bristles. The shorter end wallsof the chamber 3 have apertures 42 and 43 for the passage of the hose,these apertures being formed partly in the walls of the box 22 andpartly in the lid. The used water is discharged from the chamber at 45.

To the wall of the chamber 3, at the end remote from the tank are fixedthe bearings 46 and 47 of the squeezing and feed mechanism 5. In thesebearings are mounted rubber cylinders 48 and 49. The cylinder 49 isvertically movable and is connected by arms 50 and 51 to a weightedlever 53, fulcrumed at 52. This lever normally thrusts the lowercylinder 49 against the upper cylinder 48. For lowering the cylinder 49the lever 53 is actuated by means of a hand lever 54, fixed to an axle56, which has an arm 55 in contact with the weighted lever 53. The axle56 is mounted in bearings 57 and 58 fixed to the table 1.

The squeezing and feed mechanism is operated by means of a hand wheel 59geared to the axle of the cylinder 48 by means of toothed wheels 60 and60 The axle of the cylinder 48 is geared to the reel 4 by means of gearwheels 61 and 61 pulley 62, belt 63 and pulley 65. Said pulley 65 andthe reelarms 66 are keyed to an axle 67, the reel arm 68 is keyed to anaxle 69. The axles 67 and 69 have bearings in two arms 70 and 71, fixedto supports 72 and 73 by means of nuts 74 and 75, so that the reel canbe adjusted to tension the belt. The hose is wound upon bars 76, 77, 78and 79 made fast by means of filled with water from the cock 35.

nuts 80 and 81. The table 1 has a trough 82 and waste pipe 83 for thewater discharged from the tank 2 and chamber 3.

For using the apparatus, the tank 2 is The brushes 8 and 9 are liftedand the lid 26 is opened. The cylinder 49 is moved out of contact withthe cylinder 48 by depressing the lever 54. One end of the hose to be 1cleaned, with the coupling device thereon is washed and brushed by handin the tank 2, and the hose is then laid over the tank and box 22 andbetween the cylinders 48 and 49. The cylinder 49 is thereupon allowed toascend again, to engage the hose; the lid 26 is closed and the brushes 8and 9 are rotated into horizontal position, and locked by means of thepins 14 and 15. A valve 84 controlling the admission of water to thepipes 32 and 33 is thereupon opened-and the wheel 59 is rotated by hand.The hose is by this means drawn through the tank and spraying chamber,cleaned by the brushes 7, 8, 9, 36, 37, 38 and 39 and by the jets ofwater from the nozzles 27 and 28, and squeezed by the cylinders 48 and49. The front end of the hose is engaged with the reel, so that the hoseis wound upon the reel. When the tail end of the hose has reached thetank 2 the feed action is stopped and brushes 8 and 9 are again lifted,so that the coupling device at the tail end can be cleaned by hand. Thecylinder 49 is then lowered, and the tail end of the hose is wound uponthe reel. For re- 'moving the coiled hose from the reel the bars 76, 77,78 and 79 are unfastened and withdrawn from the reel. The coiled hosemay then be carried to the drying tower, in order to be suspendedtherein. The apparatus may of course also be used for coiling a dryhose,

in which case the tank is emptied and the valve 84 closed.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States is rected toward a common axis, means for connectingsaid nozzles to a water main, hose squeezing cylinders beyond saidnozzles, brushes between said cylinders and nozzles,

a hose reel, and means for collectively rotating said cylinders andreel.

2. Hose cleaning apparatus comprising in combination a spraying chamberhaving a hinged lid and apertures for the entrance and exit of the hose,nozzles arranged in the lower part of said chamber, and having up wardlydirected orifices, nozzles fixed to the inside of the lid and havingdownwardly directed orifices, means for collectively con necting saidnozzles to a water main, an up wardly directed brush arranged in thelower part of said chamber, a downwardly directed brush fixed to theinside of the lid, hose squeezing cylinders, a hose reel, and means for1collectively rotating said cylinders and ree 3. Hose cleaning apparatuscomprising in combination a water tank, brushes arranged to form a pathfor the hose in said tank, nozzles having their orifices directed towarda common'axis in continuation of said path, means for connecting saidnozzles to a water main, hose squeezing cylinders, brushes between saidcylinders and nozzles, a hose reel, and means for collectively rotatingsaid cylinders and reel.

4. Hose cleaning apparatus comprising in combination a water tank, abrush fixed in said tank, brushes hinged to the wall of said tank, meansfor fixing said hinged brushes in horizontal position so that theyform'withq the first mentioned brush a path for the hose, nozzles havingtheir orifices directed toward a common axis in continuation of saidpath, means for connecting said nozzles to a water. main, hose squeezingcylinders, brushes between said cylinders and nozzles, a hose reel, andmeans for collectively rotating said cylinders and reel.

5. In a hose cleaning apparatus, a spraying chamber having a hinged lidand apertures for the entrance and exit of the hose nozzle arranged inthe lower part of the spraying chamber and provided with up wardlydirected orifices, nozzles supported 5 by the hinged lid of the chamberand provided with downwardly directed orifices, a water supply pipe, aconnection between the water supply pipe and the nozzles in the lowerpart of the chamber, and a flexible connection between the water supplypipe and the nozzles in the hinged lid of the chamber.

In witness whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo witnesses.

GEORG HOFMANN.

